Entertainment

Bacardi Campaign Lets Fans Compete With Virtual Rafael Nadal

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has conquered an impressive list of opponents — Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt just to name a few. But could Rafa beat you if you had a 12-foot tennis-serving robot on your side?

That's the premise of "Ace Rafa," a new Bacardi campaign that allows fans to virtually compete with the 10-time Grand Slam winner using the RoboServ 3000, which uses artificial intelligence technology to calculate Nadal's position and optimize the speed, spin and distance of contestants' serves. The campaign is part of Bacardi and Nadal's "Champions Drink Responsibly" social responsibility initiative.

Fans of legal drinking age can enter the contest via the "Champions Drink Responsibly" Facebook page through next March. Contestants who successfully "ace" the virtual Nadal — whose actual on-court movements and reactions were captured to create a more realistic digital portrayal — will enter a drawing to visit Nadal in Mallorca, Spain. There, the winner will scrimmage with Nadal in person (sans robot assistance), and see the actual RoboServ 3000 machine up close.

"I hope my fans enjoy this unique chance to play against me," Nadal said in a statement. "Drinking responsibly is a serious message and I believe we will reach and influence more people with this important message by expressing it in a more lighthearted and interactive way."

What do you think? Does this campaign effectively help spread the message of responsible drinking? Would it be scary to face Rafael Nadal in real life?

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